Driving devices for rollers such as printing cylinders



2 Sheets-Sheet l G. HARRISON DRIVING DEVICES FOR ROLLERS SUCH AS PRINTING CYLINDERS I m l a A 4 ll -r Q Q J :EEQEU LKW I y A I I Ila.

March 27, 1956 Filed Aug. 11, 1952 March 27, 1956 so 2,739,488

DRIVING DEVICES FOR ROLLERS SUCH AS PRINTING CYLINDERS Filed Aug. 11, 1952 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 mum/roe 7W Wm; M M wwamw HTTORNEXS Uflitfli States Pat n DRIVING DEVICES FOR ROLLERS SUCH AS PRINTING CYLINDERS George Harrison, Bristol, England, assignor to The Thrissell Engineering Company Limited, Bristol, England, a British company Application August 11, 1952, Serial No. 303,803 Claims priority, application Great Britain August 14, 1951 3 Claims. (Cl. 74-395} This invention concerns improvements in or relating to driving devices for rollers such as printing cylinders and more particularly a device whereby a cylinder can be advanced or retarded angularly with respect to the driving mechanism while the cylinder is running. Such a device is commonly termed a running radial adjustment.

According to the invention there is provided a driving device for cylinders comprising a driving member and a driven member co-axial with the cylinder, the members being coupled by links pivoted to the driving member and to an intermediate member eccentric to the driving and driven members, a coupling member between the intermediate member and the driven member and means for rotating the intermediate member around the cylinder axis whereby the driven member is rotated on said axis and can be advanced or retarded with respect to the driving member.

Further according to the invention there is provided a driving device for cylinders comprising a disc-like driving member, e. g. a gear wheel, rotatable in a bearing and a driven member consisting of an internal gear or annulus fixed to the cylinder, both said members being concentric with the cylinder, at least three pins arranged in a flat face of the driving member and having links each comprising a pin which enters a flat face of a transmission disc, a gear wheel fixed to said disc and in driving engagement with the annulus, the disc and its gear wheel being mounted eccentrically to the cylinder axis and the eccentricity being equal to the length of said cranks, and means for rotating the disc and its gear wheel 2,739,488 Patented Mar. 27, 1956 10 is mounted in suitable brackets 11 extending from the bearing 6 and provided with a hand crank (not shown) whereby the worm 10 may be rotated so as to rotate the large shaft 5 and thus carry the eccentrically mounted shaft 8 through a circular arc concentric with the axis of the large shaft.

The large shaft or'housing extends beyond the bearing 6 at the side nearer to the printing cylinder and forms a journal for a drivingmember which in the present case is made as a spur gear wheel 12. The face of said gear wheel nearer to the cylinder is bored at three posirelatively to the driving member whereby the said gear wheel drives the annulus and effects an angular displacement of the cylinder with respect to the driving member.

The transmission disc and its gear wheel may be mounted on a shaft which is journalled eccentrically in a larger shaft or housing the housing having attached thereto a worm wheel and a worm engaging said worm wheel whereby it may be rotated to rotate the housing and move the said shaft around the axis of said housing. The housing is mounted in a substantial bearing and a part of the housing which extends beyond the hearing may form a journal for the driving member.

One way of carrying the invention into effect will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings which show it as applied to the driving of a printing cylinder.

In the drawings:

Figure l is a sectional elevation of the device.

Figure 2 is a section of Figure -l on the line 2-2.

Referring to the drawings, 1 is a printing cylinder and to its shaft 2 there is fixed a flanged member 3 which has fixed thereto an internally toothed gear or annulus 4. Co-axially with the shaft 2 of the cylinder there is arranged a large shaft or housing 5 supported in bearings 6 and eccentrically bored at 7 so as to provide a bearing for a further shaft 8. One end of the large shaft 5 has a worm wheel 9 attached thereto and a worm tions equally spaced around the axis of the gear wheel and pins 13 are fixed in said bores. To each pin there is pivoted a short link 14 provided at its other end with another pin 15 which is fixed in a hole in a disc 16 referred to hereafter as a transmission disc and fixed to the aforesaid eccentrically mounted shaft 8. The distance between the two pins 13 and 15 of each link 14 is equal to the eccentricity of the shaft 3. The other side of the disc 16 is fixed to a spur gear wheel 17 the teeth of which engage in the teeth of the annulus 4 so that when the gear wheel 17 rotates on its axis the motion is transmitted through the annulus to the printing cylinder. Thus assuming that the driving gear 12 is rotated from a motor or mainshaft through a gear wheel 18, the printing cylinder 1 will also rotate at a speed determined by the ratio of the spur gear wheel 17 and the annulus 4 which it drives.

When it is desired to advance or retard the printing cylinder with respect to the driving gear 12 the worm 10 is rotated in the appropriate direction and the housing 5 is moved so that the centre of the transmission disc 16 moves through a circular are about the centre of the housing. This movement therefore causes a movement of the gear wheel 17, which engages the annulus, in addition to its movement due to the normal drive of the cylinder and thus the cylinder is advanced or retarded with respect to the driving gear. It will be appreciated that during movement of housing 5, rotation of transmission disc 16 on its own axis, relative to gear 12, is restrained by links 14. Thus, assuming that driving gear 12 is retained against movement while housing 5 is turned through a complete revolution, transmission disc 16 and gear 17 are moved in a orbital path about the axis of gear 4 to drive the latter through a fraction of one revolution, the driving ratio depending upon the ratio of the numbers of teeth of gears 17 and 4. During this orbital movement of disc 16, links 14 will revolve about pin 13. Obviously the adjustment will be similarly effected if housing 5 is rotated while gear 12 is being driven.

Apart from the ability to be able to advance or retard the printing cylinder as related above the device illustrated also provides a means whereby the cylinder can be turned while the machine is at rest. If the housing 5 is rotated by the worm and worm wheel the links merely rotate around their centres but the spur gear 17 rolls round the annulus 4 and moves the cylinder round.

What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A driving device for cylinders comprising a driving member and a driven member coaxial with the cylinder, and a driving connection between said members, said connection comprising an intermediate member eccentric to the driving and driven members, links pivoted to the driving member and to said intermediate member, a driving connection between the intermediate member and the driven member, said driving connection comprising an internal gear fixed to said driven member and a meshing external gear fixed to said intermediate member, and means for rotating the intermediate member and external gear around the cylinder axis whereby the driven mem- 3 r her is rotated on 'said' axis to elfect relative displacement of the driving and driven members.

2. A driving device for cylinders comprising a disclike rotatable driving member, a driven member comprising an internal gear fixed to the cylinder, both said members being concentric with the cylinder, at leastthree ment of the cylinder w ith respect to the driving member.

3. A driving device as claimed in claim 2 wherein'the transmisison disc and its gear wheel are mounted on a shaft which is journalled eccentrically in a larger shaft, the larger shaft having attached thereto a worm wheel and a worm engaging said worm wheel whereby it may be rotated to rotate the larger shaft and move the said eccentrically journaled shaft around the axis of saidlarger shaft.

References Cited in the tileofithis patent 4 UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,262,594 Amen-h; Apr. 9,1918 1,808,454 Dina V ..v.June -2, .1931 2,084,356

Prescott June 2, 1937 yak 

